We really don't handle the whole issue of dying well in this country do we? It's just not something spoken about, a taboo subject. We are all going to die so why do we not make sure our wishes are clear so that whenever or wherever it happens those who are left behind know what to do.

"I have one regret," said Tokiko one day. "I wish I had written down my story. " It was surprising to hear that, because Tokiko, a survivor of The Battle of Okinawa, had lived her life without telling her past even to her son.

There is no excuse for turning a blind eye to distress; those providing care, whether care assistant, family, nurse or doctor need to know they are supported in doing what the patient needs, not shackled by risk averse attitudes that paralyse common sense and hinder care provision.

I entered a big televised national competition, judged by Dizzy Rascal, Sharleen Spiteri and Jamie Cullum. I delighted in telling my friends I was in this competition particularly because of these great musicians involved.

More recently, the new inspection regime introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - the regulator for health and adult social care in England - is helping provide a better understanding of quality in hospice care.

Daniel was showing signs of "terminal agitation." People at the end of life often experience this state characterized by confusion and restlessness. As a hospice music therapist I had seen many patients in this state before.

The reality is that hospice care is delivered in a surprising range of settings, including in people's homes. In fact 90% of hospice care is delivered away from a hospice building. Hospice teams are also involved in educating staff working in other settings such as care homes and hospitals.

Even though I had never seen anyone die or even been to a funeral, mortality seemed to be an inevitable part of life that had always been just under the surface. And it was not going away, whether I avoided talking about it or used the words other than "death" to describe it.

These are tough economic times for statutory funding of healthcare. It would be unrealistic to expect NHS funding for hospice care, which has on average made up a third of funding (32 per cent) for adult hospices and 17 per cent for children's services, to be exempt from this.

"I'm thankful for my illness," said Steve one day. I was shocked. Steve was a patient with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), one of the most awful illnesses I've ever seen in my work as a hospice music therapist.

Just how important are volunteers to hospices and could their role change in the future? All charities rely to some extent on volunteers to support their work but for hospices they are crucial and always have been ever since the modern hospice movement was first founded by Dame Ciceley Saunders in the UK back in the 1960s.